Party(II)

The familiar sound of "Game over '' drew my attention to the section of the floor I was standing on.

Oh wow, that's my favorite video game; I could cry right now, and what is this intriguing setting? From rows of comfy bean bags to gaming chairs facing giant curved screens where we can all play video games, to the relaxing ambient RGB lighting—there is something here for everyone.

In one word, "a gaming paradise."

My grin was practically ear to ear as I headed towards a cluster of people engrossed in a racing game.

"Hey mate," a deep-voiced girl in a beanie called out.

"Hello," I said as naturally as possible.

"Uhhh, not you, him," she answered, pointing at a guy behind me.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I said, a smile tugging at my lips.

"Don't worry; he didn't seem to hear me anyway…Would you like to play?" She paused her game to ask.

"Sure," I answered, my smile unwavering.

"How well do you play?" She prodded with a defiant smirk on her face.

"Properly," I replied as I sat down and donned a set of headphones.

"Nice, I already like you. I'm Owen, what's your name?" She inquired.

"Raven, nice to meet you Owen, uhh Owen?" I repeated with uncertainty.

"Yeah, what? It doesn't suit me?" She chuckled.

"Nothing, I just thought it had a masculine charm to it, it's a lovely name," I said, hoping she wouldn't take offense.

"Thank you," she replied pleasantly.

"I'm sorry, but I already chose the turboblade equipment." She said with a knowing smirk.

"Oh really, perfect," I retorted, matching her smirk.

"What exactly do you mean by perfect?" You should be scared of its explosive speed and power. Are you sure you play "properly" huh?" She asked, stifling her laughter.

"Turboblade is a good choice, but Turbostrike is better if you utilize it properly," I replied with a smile.

"Whattt? That's mid-grade equipment. Are you being serious right now?" She replied with her eyes widened.

"You never know till you give it a shot," I responded as we both waited for the countdown.

"May the best player dominate the road." She said with an energetic grin.

"Get ready to eat some dust." I replied with a matching energy.

I must admit that Owen's skills as a player are impressive and that's what makes this so exhilarating. It's been a while since I've felt this kind of excitement.

The real world seemed to fade into the background as I got immersed entirely in the game's challenges.

With every keystroke, my focus narrows solely on the virtual world before me. The controller felt like an extension of my thoughts, so easy to use, it looks like a limited edition so that's not a surprise. I feel psyched each time my movement and action are executed with precision. Quality gaming equipment is truly a heavenly delight.

My heart raced with each close call, but my determination kept growing stronger with each of the close calls. I'm not going down without a fight, especially after boasting about thunderstrike. Time seems to slip away as I strategize, anticipate, and react, the game world is now more vivid to me.

Yes, Owen is right where I wanted her to be.

Now I can pull my ultimate move.

I've practiced this severally and it feels good to finally be able to use it on someone other than Jake( my neighbor)

"And done." I said with a smirk and as the familiar "GAME OVER" sounded again.

"Damn it, you actually won with thunderstrike hahaha." She cackled in disbelief.

I'm surprised as well, you play so well, perhaps we've stumbled across a hidden gaming master." A familiar voice said behind us.

"Oh, we meet again Rowan." I beamed with a genuinely happy smile till my eyes met with Adrian's glaring eyes right behind him.

"Oh, you're here?" Adrian asked with surprise.

"Yeah, Hi Adrian." I muttered with a small wave.

"You know him?" Rowan asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, we're classmates, you do?" I replied.

"Yeah, we're friends, blame my tough luck, let's talk later." He remarked casually as he glanced at Adrian.

"Raven, glad you're enjoying the party, let's catch up later." Adrian said slowly and walked away totally ignoring Rowan.

Why does it feel like they aren't exactly on the same page? Perhaps they had a disagreement.

"Congratulations on being the first girl to defeat me this year," Owen remarked.

"You're welcome," I replied with a smile.

"You can take your beanie off now, or do you still want to get whipped with another round of defeat?" Rowan chuckled.

"Sure, but I won't be losing next time." She responded, removing her beanie and cardigan.

"You're a guy?" I blurted out in surprise.

"Don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking, am I that adorable?." He laughed heartily, causing me to blush in embarrassment.

"It's not like anyone's to blame that you didn't shed your baby fat," Rowan said with a chuckle.

"You, you, you just met her today and you're already taking her side?" Owen exclaimed dramatically.

"I did mention earlier to ditch the pink cardigan, now you see why," Rowan laughed.

"I'm really sorry about that; I didn't mean to upset you," I apologized, even though he didn't seem offended.

"No worries, at least you know now. It's one of my quirks," he winked, earning a smile from me.

"There's something fun happening downstairs; let's check it out," Rowan muttered as he pulled us both downstairs.

His hand felt warm and comfortable.